Failsworth 1 Failsworth Coordinates: 53.5102°N 2.1575°W [1] Failsworth Failsworth Pole Failsworth shown within Greater Manchester Population 20,555 (2001 Census) [2] OS grid reference SD895015 - London 163 mi (262 km) SSE Metropolitan borough Oldham Metropolitan county Greater Manchester Region North West Country England Sovereign state United Kingdom Post town MANCHESTER Postcode district M35 Dialling code 0161 Police Greater Manchester Fire Greater Manchester Ambulance North West EU Parliament North West England UK Parliament Ashton-under-Lyne List of places UK England Greater Manchester Failsworth is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on undulating ground, on the course of the Rochdale Canal and north bank of the River Medlock. It is 2.7 miles (4.3 km) west-northwest of Ashton-under-Lyne, 2.9 miles (4.7 km) south-southwest of Oldham and 4.2 miles (6.8 km) to the east-northeast of Manchester city centre. Failsworth lies within the orbital M60 motorway, which Failsworth 2 skirts Failsworth's eastern boundary. Failsworth had a total population of 20,555 in 2001. Historically a part of Lancashire, until the 19th century Failsworth was a small agricultural township linked, ecclesiastically, with the parish of Manchester. Farming was the main industry of this rural area, with locals supplementing their incomes by hand-loom weaving in the domestic system. The introduction of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution facilitated a process of unplanned urbanisation in the area, giving rise to Failsworth as a mill town, marked architecturally by several large redbrick cotton mills. Failsworth's major landmark is the Failsworth Pole—a maypole which occupies the site of several former political poles. Daisy Nook is a country park at Failsworth's southern boundary with Droylsden. The town encompasses the village of Woodhouses, situated along Failsworth's eastern boundary. Notable residents of Failsworth have included the poet and writer Benjamin Brierley, who was born and raised by a weaving family. History The name Failsworth derives from the Old English fegels and worth; it probably means an "enclosure with a special kind of fence". Unmentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, Failsworth does not appear in records until 1212, when the name was recorded as Fayleswrthe and the settlement was documented to have been a thegnage estate, or manor, comprising 4 oxgangs of land. 2 oxgangs with an annual rate of 4 shillings were payable by the tenant, Gilbert de Notton, to Adam de Prestwich who in turn paid tax to King John. The remaining 2 oxgangs were held by the Lord of Manchester as part of his fee simple. The Byron family came to acquire all four oxgangs in the mid-13th century, and thus held the entire township. However, apart from a small estate in the township held by Cockersand Abbey, Failsworth was acquired by the Chetham family, which was then broadly sold to smaller holders. The Parish Church of St John was Little more than 300 years ago its population was over just 1,000, today it is founded in 1845 about 20,555Wikipedia:Citation needed. Farming was the main industry of the area with villagers supplementing their meagre incomes by hand-loom weaving until the advent of cotton and the Industrial Revolution. In 1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed overnight at the Bull's Head public house. In 1914 the regular Daisy Nook Easter Fair ceased due to the outbreak of war, but reopened in 1920. On 8 June 2007 a 1946 work by L.S. Lowry entitled "Good Friday, Daisy Nook" depicting the Easter Fair was sold for £3,772,000, the then highest price paid for one of his paintings at auction. Another painting by Lowry from 1953 titled ‘Fun Fair at Daisy Nook’, sold for £3.4 million in 2011. Governance Lying within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire since the early 12th century, Failsworth during the Middle Ages formed a township in the parish of Manchester, and hundred of Salford. Following the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, Failsworth formed part of the Manchester Poor Law Union, an inter-parish unit established to provide social security. Failsworth's first local authority was a local board of health established in 1863; Failsworth Local Board of Health was a regulatory body responsible for standards of hygiene and sanitation in the township. Following the Local Government Act 1894, the area of the local board became the Failsworth Urban District, a local government district within the administrative county of Lancashire. In 1933, there was a small exchange of land with the neighbouring City of Manchester, and in 1954, parts of the Limehurst Rural District was added to Failsworth Urban District. Under the Local Government Act 1972, the Failsworth Urban Failsworth 3 District was abolished, and Failsworth has, since 1 April 1974, formed an unparished area of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, a local government district of the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester.[3] Failsworth contains two of the twenty wards of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham; Failsworth East and Failsworth West. Failsworth forms part of the Ashton-under-Lyne parliamentary constituency and is represented in the House of Commons by David Heyes MP, a member of the Labour Party. Geography Further information: Geography of Greater Manchester At 53°30′37″N 2°9′27″W [4] (53.5102°, -2.1575°) Failsworth lies 163 miles (262 km) north-northwest of London. It shares common boundaries with Manchester and Oldham, on its west and northeast respectively. Failsworth is traversed by the A62 road, from Manchester to Oldham, the heavy rail line of the Oldham Loop and the Rochdale Canal, which crosses the north-west corner. The M60 motorway passes through Failsworth. For purposes of the Office for National Statistics, Failsworth forms part of the Greater Manchester Urban Area. The surface of the land in Failsworth gently slopes from east to west, away from the Pennines and from the brooks which bound it on the north-west and south-east. Failsworth has a large country park, Daisy Nook, located on its eastern border, on land mostly belonging to the National Trust. The undulating, wooded land is a popular destination for visitors wishing to participate in walking, horse riding, fishing and many other outdoor pursuits. Demography Further information: Demography of Greater Manchester Population change Population growth in Failsworth since 1901 Year 1901 1911 1921 1931 1939 1951 1961 1981 1991 2001 Population 14,152 15,998 16,973 15,726 17,505 18,032 19,819 20,951 20,160 20,007 [5] Source: A Vision of Britain through Time Economy Failsworth is a centre for the production of hats, manufacture began as a cottage industry before the firm of Failsworth Hats was set up in 1903 to manufacture silk hats. For a time the company operated from a factory near the former Failsworth Council offices and remains in the area to this day. Today, Failsworth's main areas of economic activities are in electrical goods manufacture (such as Russell Hobbs) by Salton Europe (formerly Pifco Ltd, pre-2001), and plastic producers and distributors Hubron Limited. Many Failsworth residents work in Manchester, with many commuters choosing to live in the area because The new Tesco supermarket viewed from Ash of its transport links which include the Metrolink tram service from Street Failsworth Metrolink station on the Oldham & Rochdale Line. Failsworth 4 In the July 2007, the Tesco supermarket chain opened one of their 24-hour Extra branches on the banks of the newly regenerated wharf. The move has not been welcomed by small shop owners who have claimed that they have lost customers to the new store and may be forced to close. It was intended that Tesco's arrival would be a catalyst to attract other stores, bars and restaurants to Failsworth. The only other large store in the Failsworth boundary is a branch of Morrisons which is situated in the converted Marlborough Mill. Housing Units Ltd is located on Wickentree Lane and is a large home furnishing store which has been in operation since 1947. Landmarks A major landmark of the area is Failsworth Pole on Oldham Road. The first 'political pole' was erected in 1793 although a local historian suggests there were others before and that maypoles probably stood on the site for centuries. The pole that now stands on the site replaces one blown down in 1950. Following a major restoration of the Pole, clock tower and gardens in 2006 a bronze statue of Benjamin Brierley was erected in the gardens.[6] At the road junction of the A62 with Ashton Road West stands the cenotaph, built in 1923 in remembrance to over 200 Failsworth men who lost their lives in the First World War. Attendances at the cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday remain high, averaging around 2,000 people. The annual Remembrance parade is led by 202 Field Squadron, RE (TA),[7] who are based in Failsworth. In June 2007 the war memorial was rededicated after at £136,000 makeover by the The Failsworth Pole Failsworth War Memorial Steering Group, and opened by Colonel Sir John B. Timmins. Education The local comprehensive is Failsworth School, which moved to a new building in 2008 (previously two separate buildings known as the Upper School and the Lower School) which caters for children aged between 11–16 years of age. The £28 million project allowed secondary schooling in the town to come under one roof as opposed to the previous Lower and Upper schools on Partington Street and Brierley Avenue. The school has specialist Sports College status. School Type/Status Headteacher OfSTED Location Reference [8] Failsworth Secondary School Mr J Meagher 105735 53.507620°N [9] 2.146614°W Woodhouses Voluntary Primary School Mrs Michelle Vickers 105688 53.504482°N [10] [11] (Controlled) 2.134096°W South Failsworth County Primary School Mr Michael Jones 105656 53.499164°N [12] [13] 2.158921°W Higher Failsworth Primary & Infant Mrs Susan Kitchen 134784 53.514258°N [14] [15] (Stansfield Road) School 2.148734°W Failsworth 5 St.